M: Let me get this straight. You would take a 2nd or 3rd round draft choice for Branch just to stick to Philly? You guys are nuts! And BTW, are you the same posters who have said that the last five Indy contracts would put Indy in cap hell?
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S: Now THERE'S a balanced team with depth that never runs out of gas in January!
How many consecutive years must we watch this "Tortoise and the Hare" story before someone starts questioning Polian?
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M: And BTW, why should any team show their final offer to the patriots. Those details are between the team and Branch. Whether the full details of the contract are better than the supposed Patriot contract is between Branch and his new team. And just maybe, Branch won't feel bad about sticking it to the patriots and take the same deal from Philly that he could have gotten here.
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S: All the Pats care about is the COMP they get from the other team (as they should). If Branch wants to play for a ham sandwich from the 49ers, BB/Pioli will gladly take their first rounder. But if it's an AFC team, BB/Pioli will make sure that other team doesn't get a steal.
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M: My personal belief is that several teams will indicate that they would pay Branch a contract with a $10M signing bonus and averages more than $6 million a year if he were a free agent, but that they value their draft choices and will not give the patriots a first IN ADDITION.
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S: "If" "If" "If". If my Aunt Jackie had a mustache, she'd be by Uncle Jake.
Great! Veto by the "Deciders" - - The New England Patriots. Branch has been digging in his heels in this walkout as it is. The Pats lose nothing with this move.
The Patriots aren't the supplicants in this drama. They aren't begging other teams for their draft choices or players. They now get to sit back, fold their arms and see if any of the other teams measure up in trying to please BB/Pioli in their offers. If no one measures up, worst case scenario is that Branch goes back to doing exactly the same thing he was doing 24 hours ago. Obviously, they saw that there was no real hope in the current Branch situation and had nothing MORE to lose by doing this.
Great move.